With fuel costs sky rocketing and the days of $2/gallon gas long gone, everyone is trying to find ways to stretch his or her dollar. 3M Car Care recently conducted a survey that asked U.S. drivers what they were doing to save money on gas.  The results were:

• 68% Driving Less
• 51% Keeping The Car Well-Tuned
• 18% Carpooling
• 12% Looking for a New Car
• 9% Using Fuel Additives

Shell recently did a survey of the favorite color of cars for U.S. drivers:

• 21% Blue
• 18% Black
• 13% White
• 12% Red
• 11% Silver

Oddly, green was left off this list (that is the color of my car).

What is your favorite?

There is nothing worse than having a car paid off and then being in a terrible car accident, believe me, I know. We’d just paid off our old car, had enjoyed no car payments for a whole month, when my husband was hit by a merging SUV and spun across five lanes of highway to be hit head on by a Maxim. Luckily my husband was unscathed. The same could not be said for the car. So we started shopping.

We knew that a new car was going to be completely out of our budget so we went in search of a good used car. You have to be very careful when buying used and make sure you do your research. We took our search to a used car lot. Although there are other options like buying privately, we wanted the added assurance of dealing with a professional even if the prices were higher.

When we decided on the car, a 2005 Pontiac Grand Am GT for a really good price from a reliable dealership, these are the steps we followed to make sure we didn’t drive a lemon off the lot.

1) We inspected the inside and outside for rust, cracks in glass, leaks and checked the odometer.

2) We test drove the car listening for unusual sounds, and then we made sure that the A/C, heater, stereo, windshield wipers, and power windows and locks worked.

3) We took the car to our mechanic to have the engine checked out to make sure it was sound.

4) We asked for a vehicle history report. We wanted to ensure that the car didn’t have habitual problems that needed repair, nor been in any major accidents.

Then before you even start to think of signing on the dotted line, consult the Kelley Blue Book and make sure that what they are asking isn’t astronomically out of proportion to what the car is worth — keeping in mind they are a little more expensive bought off a lot.

In a recent article, I noted that Mini had the biggest increase in sales for the month of March.  Now, there is more news that more car purchases are based on gas economy with an increase in the amount of hybrid vehicles purchased.

According to R.L. Polk & Co., hybrid vehicle sales increased by 38 percent in 2007.  While hybrid sales account for less than 3 percent of total auto sales in the U.S., that is still a significant increase.

With more hybrid styles being offered through different manufacturers, it seems that hybrid sales should continue to rise.

I wonder if there might be a surge of Hummers at an auto auction.  Perhaps, the mammoth Ford Excursion will become a frequently seen vehicle at the weekly car auction.  I surely doubt that  many  hybrids will be available.

In March, US auto sales fell by 12 percent. This statistic is not surprising, considering the economy and soaring gas prices. Interestingly, based on more data from March sales, consumers seem to be considering gas prices when purchasing new vehicles, as Mini (division of BMW) had the biggest increase in sales and Hummer had the biggest drop in sales.

With overall new world car sales dragging, it causes me to wonder if there will be a surge in other options for purchasing cars. Will auto auctions become a more popular way to acquire a vehicle? Will more interest be shown in used cars for sale, such as used auto BMW?

As I am looking for a new car, I will be checking all of the options. I wonder what others will do.